


Only in Vegas

by prissygirl



Series: Seven Days of Rumbelle Fic [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Romantic Comedy, Rumbelle - Freeform, Vegas, Waking Up Married in Vegas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-05
Updated: 2015-07-08
Packaged: 2018-04-07 21:03:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4277802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prissygirl/pseuds/prissygirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Rubin Gold meets Belle French, he’s pretty sure he has met the woman of his dreams. The only problem? He just got married the night before.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the following prompt: Gold, still single in his forties, marries Milah (or Cora) way too quickly and he realizes his mistake during his honeymoon. There, he also meets the lovely Belle who's on a family reunion (with her very big family).

Rubin Gold had never thought of himself as the type of person to get married in Vegas.

But here he was, slightly hung over the next morning, staring at the sleeping form of his new wife as she lay sprawled out on the king-size bed in their hotel room.

Cora Gold.

The combination still sounded a bit weird to him, but Gold supposed that was just the newness of it. He was sure he’d grow to love the sound of his last name accompanying her first.

The whole thing had happened rather quickly, truth be told. He and Cora had only been dating for about six months when she suggested a trip to Vegas for the weekend. They had flown in earlier yesterday and spent their first night drinking, eating, and gambling.

It had been on the way back to the hotel that Cora had spotted the wedding chapel. She’d practically dared him to marry her. Between Cora’s impetuous nature and the alcohol sloshing around in his veins, Gold had decided that it was a good idea and had followed her into the Queen of Hearts chapel.

Now that it was morning, Gold realized he didn’t regret their rash behavior the night before. He honestly felt lucky that such a beautiful, young woman like Cora had wanted to marry him. Ever since Milah had divorced him several years ago, taking his 11-year-old son Bae halfway across the country, he had longed for a family. He wanted the chance to be a father again, and even though Cora was more interested in expensive restaurants and weekend getaway trips, he was sure she’d come around to the idea of children eventually.

And though he would never admit that it was part of the reason he had said yes to her proposal, he knew his being married would help when he tried again to obtain full custody of Bae in a few months.

Not wanting to wake Cora, Gold stood up carefully and stretched. He was still wearing his clothes from last night and he figured he looked like a wreck. Not exactly the best impression to make on the first day of his marriage.

Gold quickly showered and changed into new clothes before tiptoeing back into the bedroom. Cora was still out like a light, small snores coming from her side of the bed. She’d be horrified to learn that she snored, so he resolved not to mention it.

His stomach growled and he decided to check out the free continental breakfast downstairs. Breakfast ended in less than a half an hour, so he left Cora a note on the hotel stationery. She was a strictly anti-breakfast sort of person, something he vowed he would change about her as soon as possible.

Shutting the hotel door quietly behind him, he made his way downstairs. Gold was thankful that the breakfast area was separate from the casino. He didn’t think his headache could have taken the clang and ringing of the slot machines quite yet.

He helped himself to a big plate of bacon and eggs before walking over to the waffle maker, which was currently being used by a short brunette with her small child.

Gold didn’t pay them much attention until the lilting Australian accent of the woman caught his attention.

“Now Emma, your mother said you could have one waffle. That’s it.”

The girl shook her head, her little blonde ponytail swinging back and forth angrily. “But I’m real hungry.”

The woman smiled fondly at the girl. “Well, why don’t you eat this one and then if you’re still hungry, we can ask your mother if you can have another?”

Gold saw the girl weigh the woman’s words in her mind for a moment. Then her face brightened and she yelled a hurried “Okay!” before skipping off to a nearby group of tables where a dozen people sat eating breakfast while more small children raced around.

He was so busy watching the children play, remembering Bae at that age, that he didn’t realize the woman was talking to him for a moment.

“Sorry?” he asked.

He turned back to her and their eyes locked. He was struck by her gorgeous blue eyes, which seemed to sparkle even in the hotel’s cheap fluorescent lighting.

She smiled shyly. “I was just saying I’m almost finished with the waffle iron.”

Gold shrugged. “I’m in no hurry. Besides, you seem like you have a pretty demanding customer.” He inclined his head towards where Emma was now sitting, devouring a piece of bacon.

The woman chuckled. “She definitely is. Thankfully I’m just her aunt, so I’m not on full-time duty.”

“You don’t have children of your own?” Gold asked, surprised.

She shook her head, looking wistful for a moment. “No, not yet.  It usually helps to be involved with someone who actually wants children.”

“I suppose so,” Gold agreed, his thoughts wandering back to Cora for the first time since he left. “You just seemed so natural with her that I just assumed…” He trailed off awkwardly, not sure how to finish the sentence.

She waved off his concern good naturedly. “I love kids. I’m actually a librarian at a grade school. Or at least, I will be until the end of the month.” She gave him a grim smile. “Budget cuts, unfortunately.”

The waffle iron beeped and she turned to open it up. “I’m Belle by the way,” she said over her shoulder as she put the waffle on a plate.

“Gold,” he said.

“French, actually. Although Belle Gold does have a nice ring to it,” she said, her smile bright once again.

Gold blinked. It _did_ have a nice ring to it.

“Um no,” he stuttered. “That’s my name.”

She blushed, almost dropping the plate. “My apologies.” A slight mischievousness came into her eyes and Gold found it rather enticing. “So what are your initials then? A.U.?”

Belle let out a dainty snort at her own joke. Gold thought it was possibly the most adorable thing he’d ever heard.

“With puns like that, no wonder you’re a hit with children,” he drawled.

She laughed, moving to the side so he could make his waffle. “I like to think my jokes are educational, as well as funny.”

Just then Emma ran back, took the plate out of Belle’s hands, and left without another word.

“Emma, what do we say?” Belle chided gently.

“Where’s the syrup?” Emma frowned at her plate.

Belle rolled her eyes. “I was actually looking for a thank you.”

Emma nodded, her face very solemn. “Thank you, Aunt Belle. Where’s my syrup?”

Belle picked up a packet of syrup and began to walk towards Emma. She called out over her shoulder. “It was nice to meet you.”

“And you, Belle.”

As she and Emma rejoined the rest of their family at the tables, Gold was surprised to realize he meant it.

 

He spent the rest of breakfast being entertained by the large and noisy group in the corner. There were other people eating in the room, but none caught his eye like Belle’s family. Usually he would have been annoyed by such a rambunctious group, but he didn’t seem to mind today, even with his hangover. The children were rather endearing as they played, and the adults took turns encouraging them to eat their food and not poke each other.

His gaze kept returning to Belle, as she chatted away amicably with another petite brunette who he could only assume was her sister from the way Emma kept tugging on the woman’s sleeve.

It was such a happy and domestic scene, and he couldn’t help but wish that he was a part of it. He could imagine Bae having fun playing with the other children. Neither Milah nor Gold had any siblings, so Bae had never grown up with any cousins.

Gold had the feeling that Bae would enjoy being around other kids – cousins or perhaps even siblings one day.

Maybe he should talk to Cora about that, he thought. After all, it was something people usually discussed _before_ they got married.

If he could talk about that sort of thing to a perfect stranger, no matter how friendly and lovely she seemed, then certainly he could talk to his wife about it.

Couldn’t he?


	2. Chapter 2

When Gold arrived back at the hotel room, Cora was still sound asleep.

He leaned over the bed, lightly tickling the back of her neck. It was how he had always woken Bae up when he was little. Gold remembered how Bae would open up his sleepy little eyes before smiling up at him.

When Cora opened her eyes, she wasn’t smiling. In fact, she was downright glaring at him.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice slightly croaky.

“I thought perhaps you’d like to join your husband for the first day of your honeymoon? Maybe spend some time by the pool?”

Cora groaned and pulled her pillow over her head. Her speech was muffled, but Gold thought he could definitely make out the words “hangover” and “never leaving this bed.”

He frowned. It wasn’t exactly how he imagined spending the first day of his marriage. But if his new bride wanted to sleep off her hangover, he wouldn’t interfere.

“I’ll just be by the pool then,” he said.

She grunted from beneath the pillow and Gold took that as confirmation that she had heard him.

After changing into some trunks, he found his way to the pool. The hot tub was mercifully vacant and he sunk into it, letting the pleasant warmth creep into his body. He shut his eyes and let himself relax.

He hadn’t been there ten minutes when the door opened and a cacophony of noise assaulted his ears. Gold opened his eyes and saw the group from breakfast walk into the room. The children raced in, jumping into the pool even as the adults warned them not to run.

Several of the parents got into the pool with the kids while some of the others, including Belle’s sister, sat at the edge of the pool with their feet in the water.

He had just noticed that Belle wasn’t among them when the door opened again. Belle entered, holding a thin white hotel towel wrapped around her body.

That was until she unwrapped the towel, revealing the tiny blue bikini that she was wearing underneath.

Gold tried not to stare, but he was finding it rather difficult to look away when his eyeballs seemed glued to the sight.

It wasn’t until she began to walk past the pool and towards the hot tub that he managed to tear his eyes away. He quickly looked over at the wall, trying his hardest to pretend that he hadn’t just been ogling her for the past minute or two.

“Well, hello again.”

Gold looked up to see Belle smiling down at him. He somehow managed to keep his gaze on her face, a feat for which he was eternally grateful for.

“Hello,” he managed to choke out.

She pointed to the tub. “You don’t mind if I join you, do you?”

Gold shook his head. “It’s your pool as much as mine,” he said. He mentally cringed at the words as they left his mouth.

Belle settled down into the water, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh as she did so. “That feels _so_ good.”

Gold gulped. Between the contented noises coming from her mouth and the sight of her in that swimsuit, he was starting to feel pleasantly uncomfortable.

Or unpleasantly comfortable.

Either way, he was well aware that it would be best for him to flee from this situation as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, there was a rather sizeable problem preventing him from doing just that.

It was his honeymoon, he reasoned. His libido hadn’t quite gotten the memo that his wife was named Cora, not Belle.

Even if Belle’s name did sound better with his own, a tiny voice reminded him.

Gold bit back a curse, trying to keep his features schooled. It wouldn’t help the situation to let Belle know he was attracted to her.

From the slight smirk playing at the edges of her mouth, it seemed like she might already suspect. He only hoped she wasn’t aware of how _much_.

There was a big splash in the pool next to them. Both of them turned in time to see an elated Emma break through the surface, beaming. “I did a cannonball!” she whooped excitedly. “Did you see, Belle?”

Belle laughed and waved. “Well done!”

She turned back to Gold, who had been grateful for the distraction.

“Do you have children of your own?” she asked.

“I have a son, Bae. He lives with his mother out-of-state, though.”

She gave him a sympathetic glance. “I’m sorry. That must be really hard for you both.”

He nodded. “Hopefully I’ll have him back with me before too long. I have a feeling that there’s a change in my luck recently.”

“Really?” She gave a surprised chuckle. “What makes you think that?”

“Oh, just – “

There was the patter of tiny feet and they both looked up to see Emma standing over the hot tub. “Can I come in?” she asked.

Gold kept himself from groaning out loud. He had just been about to tell Belle about his marriage to Cora. He figured the sooner it was out there, the sooner he could stop feeling so guilty about feeling attracted to her. Maybe Cora would even join them in the pool later, if she woke up soon. He was sure that once he saw the two of them side by side, he would realize how much more attractive Cora was than Belle.

The tiny voice in his head begged to differ, but he shut it out quickly, tuning back into the current discussion going on before him.

“But I _would_ like it!” Emma pouted.

Belle shrugged. “Fine. Put your feet in the water first and see.”

Emma smiled triumphantly. She sat on the edge and lowered her feet in before yanking them back suddenly. “That’s really hot!” she yelled.

He saw Belle try and hold back a smirk. “I told you.”

Emma scowled and stood back up. “This is no fun. I’m going back in the pool.”

Belle and Gold chuckled as Emma stomped off.

“Bae’s still not a fan of hot tubs either,” he admitted.

“How old is he?”

“Eleven.” Gold smiled. “He’s really a wonderful boy.”

“Not that you’d be biased in anyway,” Belle teased.

Gold was taken back for a moment. He suddenly realized that he wasn’t used to having someone tease him like this. He usually kept to himself for the most part, though there were a few people in Storybrooke that he didn’t mind spending time with. But he didn’t consider himself particularly close to any of them. His closest relationship was with Cora and even that wasn’t overly lighthearted. They shared many common interests, but he didn’t actually remember them ever teasing each other. Cora’s idea of flirting was usually a bit heavier handed.

However, he couldn’t say he minded being teased by Belle. In fact, he found himself wanting to tease back.

“Of course not. I’m a perfectly impartial judge. Just as I assume you are with your niece.”

“Oh, undoubtedly,” Belle agreed, nodding solemnly.

There was a moment’s pause before they both erupted into laughter, their chuckling putting them even more at ease with each other. From there, they easily fell into conversation, exchanging stories about Bae and Emma.

Belle turned out to be a wonderful story teller. Emma had managed to have quite a few adventures in her five short years of life, all of which were quite entertaining. Gold also found Belle to be a willing listener to his endless stories of Bae’s childhood, which he was fairly sure were far from the stuff of page turners.

The more he talked, the more he began to realize just how easy it was to talk to Belle. She seemed generally interested in Bae and even in his life back in Maine.

“My sister’s family actually lives in Maine,” she said, nodding towards the pool. “It’s a town just along the coast called Storybrooke. It’s about – “

He put up a hand to stop her. “Storybrooke? Are you sure?”

She leaned forward, looking confused. “Of course. Why do you…oh.” Her eyes lit with understanding. “Is that where you live?”

“It is, in fact,” he admitted, somewhat bewildered by this strange turn of events.

“Interesting,” Belle said, her voice carrying an emotion he couldn’t place. She settled back against the tub wall. “You know, I don’t believe in coincidences.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Really?”

“No, I think its fate or the gods or whoever controls the universe entertaining themselves.” She smiled mischievously.

“And what would be the point of this little joke?” he asked, curiosity at her meaning burning within him.

Belle looked thoughtful for a moment. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?”

She was looking at him rather intently now. It was both unsettling and arousing at the same time, though it was rather more the second than the first. A fact which, yet again, was keeping him from leaving a situation that he knew was bound to lead him into trouble.

“I guess we will,” he agreed.

A high-pitched shriek filled the air and they both looked back at the pool to see Emma being swung through the air by the strong arms of her father, before being unceremoniously dropped into the water. She returned to the surface sputtering for air and crying for her mother.

“David!” Belle’s sister yelled, scolding her husband.

“What? It’s all in good fun, Mary Margaret.”

An argument ensued between the two parents as Emma continued to wail.

Belle looked back at him apologetically. “I think that’s our cue to leave.” She stood up from the tub, rivulets of water streaming off her body enticingly. “Are you staying?”

If his body had anything to say about it, which it definitely seemed to, he didn’t have much choice. “I think I’ll be in here for a while.”

“Well, don’t stay in for too long. You’ll turn into a prune.” She gave him a final smile before making her way out of the tub. “It was nice to see you again. Perhaps we’ll run into each other later, if the fates allow it,” she said with a wink.

“Yeah, maybe.”

He watched as the entire family gathered their things and left, leaving him alone in the room with just a couple of other people.

Gold waited until he was decent and got out of the water. His skin had indeed gotten wrinkly. He wrapped a towel around himself and headed back upstairs.

Cora was finally awake. She was standing in front of the mirror, putting the final touches on her makeup. She glanced at him disapprovingly.

“Have you been in the pool this whole time?” She sniffed disdainfully. “You smell like chlorine.”

He nodded. “The hot tub was lovely. You should join me next time.” He moved in to wrap his arms around her, but she shied away.

“Not until you’ve showered.” She gave him a little push towards the bathroom. “Now hurry up and get ready. We have reservations for lunch in less than an hour.”

He nodded glumly. He would have preferred a more laidback lunch, perhaps even ordering up room service. They had a lot of things to talk about and he knew the fancy restaurants that Cora preferred were hardly the place to discuss the intimate topics he wanted to broach, like having children.

But it was her honeymoon as well, he reminded himself. He could put the conversation off a little while longer.

After all, it’s not like Cora could put off the conversation indefinitely, right?

 

Apparently his new wife was more than capable of putting off a conversation she didn’t want to have.

During lunch, she talked about all the activities she had planned for the afternoon – activities that Gold couldn’t help but notice were things he didn’t really like.

“A couple’s massage?” he asked skeptically. “Since when have I ever been interested in something like that?”

Cora took a sip of her martini and rolled her eyes. “No one’s forcing you to go. But I already booked the appointment, so I will be spending the afternoon getting pampered at the spa.”

He grumbled under his breath. Cora shot him what he supposed was meant to be a sultry look. “It is our honeymoon, after all. We should treat ourselves.”

For a moment, he thought about mentioning the fact that she’d be treating herself on _his_ credit card. But he realized he was being petty. Money wasn’t the real issue and he knew it. He wasn’t even really that upset at Cora. If he was annoyed at anyone, it was at himself for being attracted to another woman. He knew it was a natural reaction to have, but it didn’t mean he liked it.

Cora continued to monopolize the conversation as lunch went on. That itself was not out of the ordinary, but for some reason Gold found himself slightly resenting her for it this time.  

Towards the end of the meal, he decided he could at least mention to Cora what he was hoping to discuss later.

“Perhaps after your appointment, we could take a walk around the hotel gardens together? I was hoping we could talk a bit about the future. We should probably make arrangements for you to move into my house when we return.” He rubbed his hands together nervously. “And I wanted to talk to you about Bae. I’ve been hoping to petition for custody again and – “

Cora looked up from her plate, her fork paused midair. “Really? I didn’t know that.”

He tried not to notice the lack of excitement in her voice. In all fairness, he supposed he had rather sprung the news on her. They didn’t really talk much about his relationship with his son, though he never really understood why.

Gold supposed it was a bit awkward, considering the two had never met before. Cora had unfortunately needed to go out of town on a last-minute business trip when Bae had visited him earlier that summer.

But soon they would have plenty of time to get to know each other, especially if he got full custody like he hoped. He was certain the two would like each other, once they spent some time together. After all, he couldn’t think of a single reason that anyone would dislike Bae.

He wasn’t sure how he would break the news to Bae about his new step-mother, but he knew it would have to be soon. Gold just wanted to make sure that he and Cora were on the same page first.

“That’s why I thought it might be good for us to sit down somewhere private. Perhaps we could order in for dinner tonight?”

Cora looked at him blankly for a moment before she let out a tinkling laugh. “In Vegas? You want to order in?” She waved the suggestion off. “We can do that any night in Storybrooke. We’re only here for the weekend, darling. We should enjoy ourselves.”

“But I thought – “

“No, tonight I already have all planned out. There’s this great club that I just read about. We simply have to go.”

Seeing the look on his face, Cora reached out and gently patted his hand. “We can talk all you want once we get back home.” She gave him a pouty little face. “Just let me enjoy my honeymoon, okay?”

When she wanted to be, Cora could be very charming. He found himself nodding in agreement, even though he felt that delaying the conversation was a mistake.

But perhaps she did have a point. What happened in Vegas, stayed in Vegas.

Gold wanted something that would last well beyond that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Next chapter up tomorrow, of course. Let me know what you guys think! This is definitely different than any story I've written before. *pushes Cora's annoying face out of the scene* Man, she's the worst!


	3. Chapter 3

Cora spent the rest of lunch and the taxi ride back talking about all the things she still wanted to do while they were in town. Gold let her ramble on. It was a helpful distraction from the thoughts that kept nagging at the back of his mind.

But once they returned to the hotel and Cora left for her afternoon at the spa, the doubts returned. Gold found himself restless as he paced the hotel room.

He couldn’t get Belle out of his head. The more he thought about her, the more he wanted to see her again, talk to her again. He had never taken a liking to someone this fast in his life – apart from his son, of course. It boggled his mind to realize that he already considered her a friend, though they had only met that morning.

Every time he tried to push the thought of her away and replace it with thoughts of Cora, his brain immediately began comparing the two. Each time the conclusion was overwhelmingly in favor of the woman he had _not_ drunkenly pledged his undying love to the night before.

Gold realized that if he didn’t get out of his hotel room in the next few minutes, he was likely to go mad. He desperately needed another distraction. Swimming was out, of course. Gold really didn’t think his heart could stand seeing Belle in a bikini again. There weren’t any hereditary heart problems in his family, but he figured it was better to be safe than sorry.

Deciding that the noise and activity of the casino would be preferable to the quiet of his room, he made his way downstairs.

He went up to the front desk and purchased a small number of chips. Then he walked past the jarring jangle of the slot machines, his eyes searching until he saw an empty blackjack table.

The dealer was a young man with closely shaved brown hair, a strong jaw, and a bored expression on his face. Gold approached the table and sat down.

“Blackjack’s the game and Will is my name.”

Gold’s mouth screwed up in distaste. “Do they actually make you say that?”

Will snorted. “Tell me about it, mate.” He dealt Gold two cards, a knowing look on his face. “So what’s your story?”

“I don’t have a story,” Gold grumbled.

“Everyone has a story. Especially here.”

When Gold glared at him, Will held his hands up in surrender. “Suit yourself. I’m not a counselor or a bartender or nothing. Some people just like to talk.”

Gold let out a sigh. It wasn’t as if he had a ton of people he could confide in at the moment. Cora and Belle were obviously out and Bae was too young to understand – not that he’d want his son to know what a mess his father was at the moment anyway.

It was rather alarming to realize that he didn’t actually have anyone in his life that he trusted enough to talk about these sorts of things with. He was slowly discovering that he and Cora didn’t really seem to talk about anything of importance. That would hopefully change in time, but for now he realized he could use a willing ear.

Perhaps it was like confession, he mused. Just instead of a priest, it was a Vegas Blackjack dealer.

Gold wasn’t Catholic, but he would bet that the dealer would be more understanding of this type of thing.

“I think I met the woman of my dreams this morning,” he said finally. He indicated for Will to give him another card.

“Congratulations?”

The card was a Jack and it knocked him over 21. Luck just wasn’t with him today.

“I got married yesterday.”

“Oh.” Will paused. “My condolences then. That’s rotten luck.”

“Tell me about it, mate.” Gold echoed the dealer’s earlier words, not bothering to keep his voice from sounding bitter.

He continued to play a few more hands in silence, until Will spoke up again. “Love can be messy. But if it’s true, it’s worth fighting for.”

“Are you a poet as well as a dealer?” Gold sneered.

Will shrugged. “I may not be much to look at, but I have my priorities in order.” He held up his left hand and Gold noticed the simple silver band around his ring finger. “Looks like you’ve got a choice to make, mate.”

His statement struck a nerve. Gold stood up abruptly.

“That’s where you’re wrong. I already made my choice. Now I just have to stick by it.” He gathered his few remaining chips together and shoved them roughly into his pocket.

The dealer gave him a sad look, but didn’t say anything more. Gold made himself walk away before his anger got the better of him and he started yelling at the man. He should have known confiding in a stranger would be a mistake.

It seemed he had been making quite a few of those today, he realized glumly.

The front door was coming up on his right and he decided the fresh air might do him some good. Though Cora hadn’t wanted to go for a walk, he didn’t see why he couldn’t enjoy the gardens himself.

Walking out of the casino, Gold realized that he just needed to put the entire idea of Belle out of his head once and for all. He’d be back home in Storybrooke by the next night anyway. Both of their previous meetings had been accidents, and unlike Belle, Gold really didn’t believe in fate.

Perhaps the gods were trying to tell him something then. Because he didn’t make it more than ten steps out into the garden before he saw her.

Belle was sitting on a wooden bench, completely absorbed in the book that she held in her hands. As he watched her, she flipped to the next page, chuckling at some joke within the text as she did so.  

Against his better judgment, he wandered closer. He recognized the title of the book. He had read it several years ago and remembered liking it for the most part, though he had thought Dickens could have benefited from a lesson or two on the value of being concise. The size of the book was similar to some of the larger fantasy novels that Bae loved to read so often.

“That’s the book you brought on vacation with you?” Gold asked in way of a greeting, coming to a stop in front of the bench.

She looked up from her copy of Little Dorrit, her eyes lighting up when she recognized him.

He tried not to be so happy at her reaction. He failed.

“It’s one of them,” she answered happily.

“Did you bring all of Dickens’ work with you or just the heaviest?”

“Just the best,” she countered back, clearly enjoying their banter.

Gold found himself enjoying it, as well. He pointed at the book. “That could have done with at least ten fewer characters.”

She laughed. “I’m guessing you’re not a fan of Games of Thrones then.”

“Never read it. I’m less into the fantasy genre.”

“What’s your favorite book?”

He felt a slight blush come to his face, as he realized how silly his answer was about to sound. “I’m uh – rather fond of the Harry Potter books actually.”

Belle stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. It was so infectious that he found himself chuckling along with her.

“And yet you claim to not like fantasy or books with large numbers of characters.” Her eyes were still twinkling with amusement. “You may need to sort out your priorities.”

Gold shook his head. “I used to read them to my boy when he was younger.” He gave her a self-conscious smile. “It was actually rather fun. I got to do all the voices.”

She chuckled again. “Who was your favorite?”

He smirked. “I thought I did a rather fine Dobby. Unfortunately, Bae has forbidden me from reading his lines in Gollum’s voice anymore.”

“Wait, you like Lords of the Rings, too?” Belle shook her head. “For someone who hates fantasy, you’re sure going out of your way to read them.”

He shrugged, taking a seat beside her. “Those are really the only two.” He glanced back down at her book. “What about you? What are your favorites?”

Just as he had expected, Belle needed very little prompting to talk about her favorite books. Their conversation moved easily from literature to films to any number of topics, though it always seemed to come back to books.

It wasn’t until he heard Belle’s stomach growl that he looked down at his watch.

It was nearly six o’clock. Without either of them noticing it, they had somehow managed to talk the afternoon away.

“It’s that late?” Belle gasped. “I promised my family I’d meet them for dinner. I better get going.”

Gold stood as she did. “Me, too.”

“Oh, how silly of me. I never asked who you were here with.” She gave him a conspiratorial look. “It’s not one of those Vegas bachelor parties, is it?”

He laughed nervously. “No, I’m not here as a rowdy bachelor, that’s for certain.”

For the first time in his life, Gold found that his natural ability to dance around the truth was perhaps more trouble than it was worth.

“Actually – “  

“Well, I’m glad to hear it,” Belle said at the same time. She gave him an apologetic smile before gesturing towards the hotel. “I hate to dash, but…”

“No, of course. Your family is waiting for you.”

Instead of walking away, she took a step closer. Gold felt his heartbeat quicken. He wondered if he could drop dead of a heart attack merely by being this close to her.

“I was planning to get a drink at the bar later tonight, if you wanted to join me.”

The hand that wasn’t cradling the book to her chest like a shield was fidgeting with her hair. Gold realized that Belle was nervous.

A moment later, his brain caught up with him and he realized why.

Belle was asking him out.

“A drink?” he repeated stupidly.

She looked up at him, her mouth curling into a slow smile.  “Well, I was thinking _drinks_. As in plural.”

His brain wasn’t really functioning. At least that’s the only excuse he could come up with later for what happened next.

“I’d love to.”

Her smile widened. “Excellent. It’s a date!” She started walking backwards towards the door. “I’ll see you later then.”

Gold found himself nodding along to her words as she left.

It was only when she had disappeared back into the hotel that he realized what he had done.

In less than 24 hours, he had managed to marry one woman and arrange a date with another.

Gold sank back down onto the bench. Perhaps Vegas hadn’t been such a good idea, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Two more chapters to go! Thanks to everyone for reading. The story will be wrapped up by Wednesday night.


	4. Chapter 4

Dinner that night involved another fancy restaurant that Cora had sworn they just had to try. They were seated immediately when they arrived and he was fairly certain he saw the hostess wink at Cora.

She hadn’t told him how she had snagged reservations at such a nice restaurant so last minute, but he was fairly certain his credit card bill would reflect the rather hefty tip that their hostess was most likely enjoying tonight.

Gold glanced down at the menu and frowned. The entire menu was seafood. He hated seafood. Cora knew that the smell of fish made him nauseous. At least, he thought she did. That’s why he had avoided taking her to Granny’s on “Fish Fry-day.” Not that he needed an excuse to avoid Granny’s, but even the name was a dead giveaway that something was rotten in that restaurant.

He sighed. Considering everything that had happened that day, he really didn’t feel up to chastising Cora about forgetting his dislike for fish. He had practically forgotten their wedding vows, so he really didn’t think he had any legs to stand on. When the waiter came to take their order, he got a basic salad and told himself he’d get something greasy at the bar later.

Not that he was going to stay long at the bar with Belle. Just long enough to tell her the truth and then hightail it back to his room to hide for the rest of the trip. If he’d had any working brain cells at all, he wouldn’t have said yes to Belle’s invitation in the first place.

If he was a better man, he’d have admitted everything to Cora when he arrived back at the room.

Of course, there really hadn’t been time, he reasoned. He had barely gotten in the door when Cora had thrown a suit at him and told him to get dressed. She had been annoyed at his lateness, but hadn’t actually asked what he had been up to all afternoon. He supposed he should have been grateful for her lack of interest, but somehow he almost resented the fact that she didn’t seem to worry about what he had been up to.

It was almost like she didn’t believe that other women could possibly be attracted to him. If he was honest, Gold probably would have agreed with that statement. At least, up until today.

He realized he was being quiet and tried to focus his attention on Cora. The afternoon at the spa had definitely agreed with her. She looked absolutely radiant, which only made him feel worse. She was a beautiful woman. There was really no reason on earth that he shouldn’t be happy to have her on his arm.

They spent the first part of the meal making small talk. Cora enthusiastically described her time at the spa to him in detail, which he only half listened to. It wasn’t until they had ordered dessert that Cora reminded him about their plans that evening.

Gold cursed internally. Not only did he have no interest in going to this sweaty nightclub that Cora was excited about, but he had to figure out a way to speak with Belle. He had no intention of going through with the date – provided his brain allowed him to actually produce coherent sentences – but he wasn’t going to leave Belle standing at the bar alone all night, wondering where he was, either.

Maybe he and Cora could show up together and…

He quickly squashed that idea. That was a bad idea.

“I’d rather not go to the club, dearie.”

She raised a perfectly-shaped eyebrow. “And why not?”

He gestured awkwardly with his hands. “Aren’t you a bit tired of all the noise? All the people?”

“No.”

“Well, I am.” He straightened his suit jacket. “I think I’d prefer a nice quiet night back at the hotel. Maybe grab a drink at the bar in the casino or something.”

“Because it’s so quiet and peaceful there?” she scoffed. “Hardly.”

He fidgeted in his chair while Cora gave him an appraising look.

“Fine,” she said after a moment. “But I already told people I was going, so I’ll just have to go by myself.”

“Who did you tell?” Gold asked, not bothering to hide his confusion.

“The girls at the spa? I told you that already!” Cora shook her head in annoyance. “I knew you weren’t listening to what I said.”

Gold bit back a groan. Now _this_ felt like marriage. Maybe if he was lucky, Cora would get sick of him and divorce him before dinner was over.

Immediately, he felt guilty for his thought. If he was a good person, he would leave a message for Belle at the bar, and go with his wife to her smoky, loud, claustrophobic club.

But Cora was already making excuses for him.

“Actually, this will probably be for the best. All the women I met were single or divorced, so bringing you along would have been like rubbing their nose in it.” Cora gazed down at her bare ring finger before frowning. “We should also talk about rings when we have your little talk.” She wiggled her hand at him. “Perhaps you could give me that vintage diamond ring in your shop. I could definitely see myself wearing that.”

Gold sighed. “Whatever you want, Cora.”

She let out a pleased giggle. It was far from Belle’s good natured laugh. It sounded rather forced and Gold realized yet another thing about his relationship with Cora. They didn’t really laugh all that much together. Occasionally there was the rather cruel but on point comment they would make about mutual acquaintances in Storybrooke and the general ineptness of the all those in town, but Gold didn’t think those really counted.

The thought was a bit discouraging. A marriage without laughter seemed a rather harsh prospect. But perhaps Gold could fix that. He could become funny. Belle had found him funny, after all. Though she was probably just being kind, he told himself.

After spending the next five minutes trying to think up a joke that Cora might actually like, he came to the conclusion that this might not have been his brightest idea ever. It left him in an even worse mood than earlier and he glared at the last few bites of his tiramisu.

His silent sulk had not gone unnoticed, however. Though Cora was rather self-involved, she wasn’t stupid.

“Are you pouting, darling?” she drawled. “I suppose I have been neglecting you a bit, haven’t I?” She smiled suggestively, reaching to lay a hand over his. Gold felt his stomach flop over, but not in the pleasant way her smile usually affected him. “I wouldn’t want you to think I’m a bad wife. Perhaps I can show my gratitude to you before I leave for the club. What do you say to that?”

“I have a headache,” Gold blurted out.

Cora just looked at him. “You have…a headache?” she asked, her voice thick with disbelief.

“Yeah,” he said, pointing to the middle of his forehead. “Right here.”

“Right,” Cora said, withdrawing her hand. She was obviously unconvinced. “Well, perhaps another time then.”

“Another time.”

They finished their dessert in silence. It was awkward, but it was better than the alternative.

The drive back in the taxi was slightly better, if only because Cora was too busy texting on her phone to pay him much mind. They had decided that he would be dropped off there before the taxi took Cora out to the club.

She gave him an absent-minded wave as he got out of the car, her eyes never leaving her phone’s screen.

“Don’t get into too much trouble, darling.”

He cleared his throat nervously. “Of course not,” he said before shutting the car door quickly.  He stood on the sidewalk and watched as the taxi drove off.

Then he walked into the hotel, his feet taking him straight to the bar while his heart did somersaults in his chest.

Belle was already there, of course. She was wearing a little red dress that hugged her small figure rather deliciously. The neckline was cut a bit lower then he would have expected, though it was far from indecent. He tried not to stare as he neared the bar.

She saw him approach and he was the recipient of yet another one of her perfect smiles.

“I was wondering if you were going to make it.” She patted the stool next to her invitingly. “I saved you a seat.”

He stopped in front of the stool and held his hands up in front of him.

“Listen, there’s something I need to tell you. Then you can decide if you still want to have drinks with me.”

Her smile turned into a small frown, but her eyes didn’t leave his. “It’s alright. I know.”

He blinked. “You know?”

“I was thinking about it earlier. And I’ve decided I don’t care.” She took a sip of her drink. “Can’t we just enjoy a couple of drinks together?”

Gold nodded in relief, all but collapsing onto the stool. It felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. Belle knew. He didn’t have to keep lying to her. He could just enjoy her company without any feelings of guilt.

That small voice in his head, which had been fairly talkative all day, reminded him that this also meant that Belle was no longer interested him. Gold felt a sudden twinge of loss at the thought, but pushed it away roughly. He could never have had her heart anyway, so it hardly mattered now.

It was such a relief to not have to overthink every single thing he said the rest of the evening. Of course, he shied away from talking about Cora. Though Belle had been more than generous by forgiving him so easily, he figured it would be best to avoid the topic.

So they talked about everything else. About Bae and about Emma. About books and travel and anything else they could think of. Things were going well, both of them several drinks into the night, when the other shoe dropped.

“I was thinking of visiting my sister soon,” Belle said suddenly. “You know, after I become unemployed. Perhaps I could look you up?”

Gold felt a cold chill run up his spine. He couldn’t have possibly misunderstood, could he?

“But what about what we discussed?” he asked, only to have her look at him blankly. “Earlier you said – “

“Oh, that.” She waved it off. “I knew you were going to tell me things couldn’t go anywhere because we live on opposite sides of the country. But a girl can dream, can’t she?”

_Shit._

Belle still didn’t know he was married. Instead, she wanted things. With him. Gold felt an actual headache begin to form.

How in the hell was he supposed to tell her the truth now?

Gold stood up quickly. Belle tried to stand up too and stumbled. He reached out, managing to catch her before she fell. The feel of her in his arms felt so right that he had to fight against the urge to kiss her senseless right then and there.

“I have to go,” he said softly.

She bit her lip. “Was it what I said? Was I coming on too strong or…”

“No, you’re perfect,” he said in a rush, knowing he meant every word.

She smiled up at him, clearly still puzzled at his behavior. She reached up a hand to caress his face softly. He leaned into her touch without thinking. Alarm bells were going off in his head. He knew he had to get out of there before she completely disarmed him.

Gold sighed, his mind scrambling to think of a valid-sounding excuse. When one finally came to mind, he grabbed onto it like a lifeline. “I’m just feeling rather drunk. I think it would be best if we called it a night,” he said, trying to ignore the feel of her fingertips as they moved across his cheek.

She giggled. “I think I may be drunk, too.”

With a little help from Gold, she straightened up, managing to stay on her feet. She looked steady enough, but he was slightly worried she wouldn’t make it to her hotel room in those ridiculous heels.

“Do you want me to help you to your room?” he asked hesitantly.

“We both know what’ll happen if you do.”

“Yes, I guess we do.” He held her gaze for a moment longer before turning back to the bar. He grabbed his billfold from his pocket, throwing a bunch of bills on the counter.

“You don’t need to pay for – “

“Yes, I do,” he said. “It’s the least I can do.”

“Well, then this is the least that I can do.” Belle grabbed a pen and a clean napkin off the bar. She wrote something on the napkin before turning back to Gold and offering it to him.

Their fingers brushed, though Gold was sure it was far from accidental on her part. He took the napkin and stared at it.

Belle had given him her phone number.

_Double shit._

“This is your phone number,” he pointed out needlessly.

Belle nodded. “Call me crazy, but I find it usually helps to have a person’s number when you try and call them.”

He ignored her sarcasm, weighing his next words carefully. “So you want me to call you?”

She shot him a slightly exasperated look. “I should have thought that was obvious by now. But yes. I want you, Gold, to call me, Belle.” She gestured towards each of them in turn, speaking in a slow voice that he assumed she usually reserved for children or incredibly stupid people.

Of course, at this point he figured he very easily qualified as the latter.

“Rubin,” he corrected her. Gold figured she had earned his real name. It was really the only thing he could give her at this point.

Her face broke out into a huge smile. “Rubin?” She gave him a tiny swat in the arm. “I thought it was something really embarrassing this whole time.”

“Well, now you know.”

She nodded. “That’s probably the worst dark secret I’ve ever heard. I mean, what an anti-climax!” Her eyes grew wide a moment later and she giggled to herself. “I guess that’s not the only way we failed in that regard, huh?”

“Alright, time for bed!” Gold said hurriedly, his voice high and squeaky. He guided her gently by her elbow down the hall, stopping before the elevator. He pressed the button for her and was thankful that it opened immediately.

She walked into the elevator, but paused when she realized he hadn’t followed her. “Aren’t you coming?”

“No, I’ll wait for the next one,” he said evenly. The temptation of being alone with Belle in an enclosed space was more than he thought even his guilt-ridden mind could handle.

“Okay, then. Good night, Rubin.”

He nodded. “Good night, Belle.”

She gave him a sad wave and a moment later the elevator doors closed between them. Gold laid his head against the cool metal, letting out a deep sigh.

He had been trying to avoid the truth all day, but even the gin and tonics he had drank earlier that night couldn’t hide the truth any longer.

Belle was perfect for him. She was the type of woman he wanted Cora to be.

But despite that – despite the beating of his heart as he watched Belle leave – he had already committed himself to Cora. For pete’s sake, he thought, he had sworn vows less than twenty four hours ago! And even if it had been in a cheesy Vegas chapel, that still had to count for something, right?

He lifted his head from the door and pushed the elevator button again. The doors opened and he was relieved to see that the elevator was empty. He walked in, pressing the button for his floor.

Gold knew what he had to do, as much as he disliked it. Cora wouldn’t be back until late, but it didn’t matter. He would just have to stay awake until she returned.

He couldn’t delay any longer. It was time to talk to Cora.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: Final chapter up tomorrow!


	5. Chapter 5

Despite Gold’s best intentions to stay awake until Cora returned, the combination of his earlier drinks and his need for sleep were too strong for him to resist. One moment he had been rehearsing the speech he planned to give to Cora and the next it was morning.

Gold blinked the sleep from his eyes as he began to wake. Sunlight peeked through the edges of the curtains, allowing just enough light for him to see Cora curled up on the other side of their king bed, fast asleep.

He groaned and rolled over to look at the alarm clock. It was already nine o’clock.

No time like the present, Gold thought to himself grimly. He knew the longer he put off the conversation, the harder it would be.

He put a hand on Cora’s shoulder, giving it a gentle shake. “Cora, wake up.”

After a moment, she stirred. Eyelashes still covered in last night’s mascara opened and she frowned as she focused on him.

“I have a headache,” she said before promptly burrowing her head back into the pillow.

Her response brought to mind his less-than-subtle excuse the night before and he almost wanted to laugh. Sex was the last thing on his mind at the moment. Considering it was his honeymoon, he supposed that was strange, but he had bigger problems to deal with.

“It’s time for breakfast, Cora. I think it would be good for us to spend the day together before we have to leave.” He took a deep breath. “I really need to talk to you about something.”

She opened one eye. Even though the light was dim, he could see that she was glaring at him.

“Read my lips, Rubin. I’m. Sleeping. In.”

Then Cora turned her head away from him, a clear indication that their discussion was over.

Gold bit back a growl and hoped out of bed. He threw on some khaki shorts and a white dress shirt, cursing Cora’s need for beauty sleep as he fastened each button.

Belle wasn’t down at breakfast when he arrived, which he was grateful for. He needed to avoid her if he hoped to fix things between himself and Cora. He munched angrily on some cereal, avoiding the waffle maker that morning. He shot the appliance a dirty look. It had all started with a waffle, he thought bitterly. He’d be damned if he ever ate one of those again. Waffles were nothing but trouble as far as he was concerned.

When he went back to the room, he was unsurprised to find Cora still asleep. Rather than risk her wrath a second time, he threw on some swim trunks and stalked down to the pool. He thought that swimming a few laps might help him shake his foul mood.

He figured it would be near lunchtime by the time he returned. If he was lucky, Cora would be ready to join the land of the living at that point. Gold planned to put his foot down and insist they order in. Then they would finally talk the whole matter over and he would see just how ridiculous he was being.

Because he was definitely not falling in love with another woman.

He had married Cora. He loved Cora. And even if he didn’t, he would just have to learn to, Gold thought.

He had already gone through one divorce, which had resulted in his son being taken away from him. Losing Bae had been the worst thing he had ever endured. Though he had high hopes of things changing soon, especially with him now being able to offer a steady, two-parent household, it would never regain him the time they had lost together.

Gold knew he had to look to the future – a future that now involved Cora. His feelings for Belle didn’t change his moral obligation to his wife, no matter what yearnings he was currently experiencing.

After all, what kind of precedent would he be setting for Bae if he was to get divorced again? When Milah had divorced him, there had been endless months of court dates, paperwork, and lawyers. His boy had been dragged through the mud, along with Gold’s good name, as Milah had set out to destroy any chance of him gaining even split custody of Bae.

He couldn’t go through that again. To this day, his failure to make his first marriage work still hung heavy on him. He didn’t want his son to think of him as a failure.

And despite Cora’s slightly selfish nature, she had done nothing that warranted a divorce. He couldn’t in good conscience throw away a six-month relationship over a few chance encounters with a woman he barely knew.

Gold nodded to himself, his mind already feeling clearer than it had all morning. His face took on a sort of steely determination, and as he opened the door to the pool room, he felt completely convinced in his next step.

Unfortunately for his resolve, a water-soaked Belle was standing only a few feet away on the other side of the doorway. Gold felt his step falter, both physically and metaphorically, as his hungry eyes took in the sight of her.

She was drying her wet hair with a pool towel, dressed once again in her tiny bikini. She was standing next to Emma, laughing at something the five-year-old was saying. The little girl had wrapped a towel around herself like a cape, and Gold was pretty sure she was talking about some sort of powder puff superheroes, though she was talking too fast for him to understand much. The rest of the family seemed to be in the process of getting out of the pool or drying off, as well. It seemed he had just managed to catch them.

Gold sighed. Perhaps he should have eaten that waffle, after all.

But as Belle hadn’t spotted him yet, there was still a chance that he could just duck back out of the room. His hand was still on the door and as long as no one saw him…

“Hey, Belle – it’s your friend!” Emma squealed as her eyes landed on him.

Biting back a groan, Gold willed a smile to come to his face as Belle turned to look at him. He aborted his escape attempt and walked fully into the room.

“Good morning,” he said to the two of them.

“Hello,” Belle said softly. She turned back to her niece. “Emma, why don’t you let your mom know that I’m going to be sticking around here a little longer, okay?”

Even though Emma was young, Gold could see that she was fairly observant. She looked back and forth between them giggling. “I’ll tell mom you’re staying with your boyfriend!”

Belle opened her mouth to undoubtedly scold the girl, but Emma ran off chuckling before she could.

“Listen, I was just going to swim a few laps around the pool quickly,” Gold said. “You needn’t feel obligated to keep me company if you have plans with your family.”

She threw the towel in the basket by the door. “Nonsense. No one should be alone on vacation.” She gave him a shy smile. “And I really don’t mind.”

Gold gulped. He had a feeling this was going to end in tears. And he had a particularly strong feeling that they would be his own, brought on by either Belle or Cora punching him in the face.

Despite his intention to flee as quickly as possible, he and Belle easily fell into conversation again as Gold found himself following her into the hot tub.

The hot water immediately relaxed his tense body, leaving him feeling much less inclined to leave. He laid his head back and closed his eyes, letting the jets massage his back with the warm spray.

Not _that_ was a massage.

Gold heard the pool door close and he realized that the room was now completely silent. He jerked his eyes open and saw that Belle’s entire family had left, leaving him alone with Belle.

He suddenly realized that the hot tub had been a very, very bad idea.

When he had closed his eyes, Belle had been sitting across the tub from him. Now that they were open again, he saw that she had slowly scooted herself closer to him. There was a gleam in her eyes that, under normal circumstances, would have excited him. But right now, it was making him break into a nervous sweat.

“Do you think it’s a bit warm in here?” he asked in a nervous rush. “Perhaps I should turn the temperature down. I wouldn’t want – “

Belle leaned in, her lips brushing lightly against his. All thought of trying to escape fled his mind as their lips touched. His arms wrapped around her instinctively and he returned the kiss.

It wasn’t until he heard her sigh against him that he realized his mistake.

Gold tore his lips from hers and backed away, his eyes wide.

“What – what’s wrong?” Belle asked.

She was breathing heavily and he could tell from the expression on her face that she was hurt by his reaction, though she was trying not to show it. All he wanted to do was take her in his arms and tell her that everything was fine, perfect even. But that was a lie. She deserved better than this. She deserved better than him.

“Belle, I – “

The words were stuck in his throat. He felt like he was more likely to vomit than get the words to come out of his mouth. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Perhaps it would be easier if he didn’t have to see the hatred in her eyes when he told her the truth.

“I’m married.”

“What?”

His eyes flew open of their own accord. She was staring at him, her expression dumbfounded.

Gold struggled to explain. “Well, I just got married, you see – “

“You’re on your honeymoon?” She began to back away from him. “You’re putting moves on me while on your _honeymoon_?!”

“No! I didn’t mean…“ He struggled to find the right words, though he knew that there were none. “It’s just – “

“Just what?”

“My wife doesn’t actually want to spend time with me.”

The moment the words left his mouth, he knew they were the wrong ones. There definitely weren’t right ones in this situation, but Gold realized that out of all the stupid things he could say, this probably ranked pretty highly among them.

“That’s no excuse. You had no right to kiss me!”

“You kissed me!”

“Well, I won’t be making that mistake twice!” Belle turned around and stormed out of the tub. She all but ran out of the room, grabbing a towel angrily as she passed by the table, not even bothering to wrap it around herself as she barreled through the door. It slammed shut behind her with a loud bang.

Gold sat there for a moment, wondering if he shouldn’t just save everyone a lot of trouble and drown himself in the hot tub there and now.

Instead, he just sighed wearily, running a wet hand through his hair.

If he hadn’t known it before, he knew the truth of it now. He was shite with women.

Minutes ticked by, but eventually Gold forced himself get out of the hot tub. He made his way back up to the room, hating himself more with every step.

Belle deserved better than him. Cora deserved better than him.

Perhaps Milah had been right about him, he thought. Maybe he was as pathetic as she had always claimed.

He finally arrived at the hotel room. He didn’t feel brave enough to go in yet, so he rested his head against the door for a minute, trying to find the will to open the door and embrace the new life that he had chosen for himself.

There was something that felt utterly final as he turned the handle and walked into the room. Cora was on the phone, mentioning something about yet another dinner reservation. She gave him a brief nod of acknowledgement, but continued on with her conversation.

He let the door close behind him. It was the loneliest sound he had ever heard.

 

It was approaching six o’clock and their flight took off at eight. Gold wanted to make sure they had plenty of time to check-in, but Cora was dragging her feet.

“Couldn’t we stay for another couple days, darling? What’s the rush to get back to real life anyway?”

Nothing, he supposed. Just the start of their life as a married couple. Just the process of moving her things into his house. Just the final nail in the coffin that was his failure at life.

“I need to get back to the shop,” he claimed, though he knew as well as her that his livelihood would not be affected by the pawn shop being closed another couple days.

She pouted, but he stood firm. Cora finally gave up, throwing her clothes into her suitcase in a huff.

He had dealt with Cora in her moods before. It was anything he couldn’t handle, though he knew it would be far from pleasant.

What he couldn’t handle was running into Belle again. He knew it was the real reason they weren’t staying. Gold may have been a coward, but at least he wasn’t lying to himself anymore.

Despite the fact that the whole point of them leaving was so that he could avoid another awkward confrontation with Belle, he still found himself looking around the lobby for one last glance of her.

He paid the rather extravagant hotel bill absentmindedly, though he did manage to wonder when Cora had found time to empty what had to have been at least half the mini-fridge. He and Cora were just turning away from the front desk when he saw Belle and her sister’s family walking through the lobby, most likely on their way to dinner.

His insides twisted up around each other in some sort of grotesque imitation of a balloon animal. He wondered if there was time to run.

There wasn’t.

Belle saw him and she stopped mid-step, her mouth falling open. She put out a hand to stop her sister beside her, pointing towards himself and Cora.

Gold steeled himself for the scene that was about to occur, kicking himself for not insisting that he and Cora leave for the airport earlier.

It was only when Belle and her sister spoke in unison that he realized they weren’t actually looking at him.

“Cora?”

She had been fiddling in her purse, but looked up as her name was spoken by the sisters. Gold noticed that she barely managed to hold back a groan.

Belle and Mary Margaret approached them wide-eyed while David and Emma hung back.

Gold saw Cora quickly put on her best fake smile. “Well, isn’t this a lovely surprise! How have you girls been?”

Mary Margaret only seemed to have eyes for Cora. Belle, however, was looking back and forth between Gold and Cora now, her eyes narrowing.

“How have we been? We haven’t seen you in six years, Cora!” Mary Margaret folded her arms over her chest. “I believe the last time we saw you was at the reading of Uncle Leopold’s will, in fact.”

“Has it really been as much time as that?” Cora pretended to look shocked. But from the looks on everyone’s face, Gold didn’t think anyone was fooled by her insincerity. “We’ll definitely have to grab coffee sometime and catch up. Unfortunately, we have a flight – “

Mary Margaret finally seemed to notice Gold standing there. “Wait, are you married to _her_?” She gave Belle a pointed glance, the significance of which was not lost on Gold. “Seriously?”

Belle squirmed under her sister’s gaze.

Cora, who had been about to pick up her suitcase, noticed the interaction and paused. She looked between Gold and Belle.

“Sweetheart, is there something I’m missing here?” she said, her voice cloyingly sweet.

Gold shuddered. “Just that Belle and I had some nice chats over the past couple days,” he said, trying to keep his guilt from coloring his voice.

He thought he had done a pretty good job until Cora replied. “Oh, really?”

“I don’t think you have any room to judge,” Mary Margaret snapped. “God knows you were probably out cheating on Leopold before he died.”

Gold felt his mouth drop open. He turned to face Cora.

“You never told me you were married before,” he said, a nagging suspicion forming in his brain. “How many times?”

“Three,” Mary Margaret said. “Though I suppose it’s four now.” She gestured to him. “I’d advise you to get a prenup, but I suppose it’s a little late for that.”

Gold felt rather light headed at the moment. But at the same time, he felt a strange lightness begin to fill him. For the first time in days, everything was suddenly very clear to him.

“I suppose this explains why you were so anxious to get married this weekend,” he said to Cora. “This whole trip in fact was your idea.”

“That’s not true!” Cora exclaimed. “You know I love you!”

“You haven’t so much as coughed in my direction the entire two days we’ve been married.”

“Well, you’ve been too busy lusting after that child –“

Belle had been silent up until this point, but she bristled, interrupting Cora. “Excuse me, I’m twenty-nine, _auntie_.”

“Whatever.” Cora dismissed Belle’s comment with a wave of her hand, her eyes still focused on Gold. “Don’t think I won’t use this little affair against you. If you try and divorce me, my lawyer will make sure I walk away with a fantastic settlement.”

For the first time since this scene had begun, Gold smiled. It began slowly, spreading across his face until it resembled that of a Cheshire cat.

Cora began to look a bit unnerved. That suited him just fine. Perhaps she had forgotten, but he wasn’t the shark of Storybrooke for nothing.

“Best of luck with that, dearie, as I’ll be asking for an annulment.”

Cora blanched.

Gold turned to Belle. “We never – I mean we have in the past – but we haven’t since the marriage…” he trailed off as Belle raised an eyebrow at him. He cleared his throat before speaking again. “The point is that this marriage is over.”

He looked directly at Cora. “Have a safe flight back to Storybrooke, Ms. Mills.”

Cora’s face was murderous as she picked up her suitcases and stomped off towards the exit.

Gold turned back to the others, seeing four pairs of eyes staring at him intently.

“Holy crap,” Emma said.

 

Gold and Belle found themselves sitting at the bar, both nursing a drink after their ordeal. The others had joined the rest of the family at dinner, leaving them alone to talk.

“So where does this leave us?” Gold asked.

Belle shrugged. “Is there really an _us_? I mean, even if all this hadn’t happened, we live across the country from each other.”

“Well, I’ve been thinking about that. You did say you were about to lose your job, didn’t you?” He swallowed hard before continuing. “Well, Storybrooke happens to have a library…”

Belle shook her head. “Mary Margaret says it’s had the same librarian for years.”

“Yes, Ingrid Frost,” Gold replied. “However, I happen to know that Ingrid has always wanted to open up a little ice cream parlor. Her nieces both went to culinary school and Ingrid would love to get a family business going.”

Belle’s eyes narrowed. “And you know this how?”

“I happen to own the building she’s been looking to rent for some time now.” He cleared his throat nervously. “I could maybe – uh, give her a bit of a deal?”

“Are you trying to buy my forgiveness?”

“Well, it’s not like I’m buying you a library. I’m just _helping_ one become vacant for you.”

Belle seemed to think this over for a bit. “You say she’s wanted to do this for a while. You’re sure I won’t be kicking her out of her job?”

He grimaced. “From the amount of times she’s threatened me over the matter, I can safely say she’d love you for it.”

Belle chewed on her lip as she digested what he had said. He saw the moment when she made up her mind and he held his breath until she spoke.

“Alright, I want you to offer her the deal.”

A grin started to spread across his face, but it was quickly cut off by a wave of her hand. “But I’ll only take the job if it’s offered to me. I’ll apply like anyone else and I don’t want you pulling any strings for me.”

Gold privately thought that there wouldn’t be too many other applicants racing to apply for the position at the dusty little library, but he wisely held his tongue. “Done.”

He held out his hand. “Shake on it?”

She hesitated for a moment and Gold felt his heart sink in his chest. If she couldn’t even touch him out of revulsion, it wouldn’t matter if she moved to Storybrooke. She’d be just as far from his grasp as if she still lived across the country from him.

But then her soft hand touched his. Hope flared once again within him.

He took a deep breath as they broke their handshake, deciding to ask the question that was burning a hole in his tongue.

“So if you do get the job, I was wondering if you would consider having dinner with me sometime?”

Belle gave him a long hard look.

“You don’t have any other wives hidden away in Storybrooke do you?”

Gold winced. He supposed he deserved that.

“No, definitely not.” He shuddered at the thought of multiple Cora’s waiting for him back home, each demanding their own credit card.

A small smile flickered across Belle’s face. “Perhaps we could start with ice cream. I hear there’s a new ice cream parlor about to open in town.”

This time he couldn’t help the smile that exploded onto his face. “I’d like that.”

Her smile grew warmer as they gazed at each other. Gold knew it would take time to gain her trust back, but he was willing to work for it.

“Maybe I could even meet Bae one day. Perhaps between the two of us, we can convince you to read some of those fantasy novels you detest so much.”

Her words caused his heart to sing. He couldn’t image a better way to spend his life, discussing books with his two favorite bookworms.

Suddenly, he was very certain that Belle had been right all along. Fate must have been playing him a lucky hand if he had a chance at such happiness.

Perhaps Vegas wasn’t such a bad place, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s note: I just want to thank everyone who has read and commented and freaked out over this and my other story, The Hands-On Approach, during the past eight days. I’ve never published this much writing in such a short time before, and though it’s been challenging, it’s also been so rewarding because of your support.
> 
> There’s already been inquiries about a sequel. Apparently people in this fandom really want to see Gold and Belle do it...imagine that? Feel free to send any prompts for this verse. I won’t be able to get to them right away, but I have the feeling y’all aren’t going to let this story go quite yet!


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